The Dreamdays
by Siobhan Terrace
Summary: Hao always thought of Anna as some prize he could have once he was Shaman King. But now, he can't wait any more. HaoxAnnaxYoh [COMPLETED]
1. Capture

**_STANDARD DISCLAIMERS APPLY_**

* * *

Yoh will be Shaman King.

_That was a fact, not a hope. Kyouyama Anna never, ever had any doubt at all that Asakura Yoh would be the Shaman King. None at all. It was a fact in itself._

_However…_

_When it came to Yoh's feelings for her…_

_She looked at him, her eyes softening. He looked up, caught her stare, and smiled._

_"Yes, Anna?"_

_That easygoing expression on his face was something she liked about him, though she often blamed it for revealing to the world just how lazy her fiancé was._

_"…Nothing. I'm going to bed."_

_"Good night, Anna."_

_"Good night."_

* * *

**CAPTURE**

* * *

Anna woke up. She had been dreaming, she was sure of it. But what had she been dreaming ab—

She stopped dead. _This is not my room. This… where am I?_

Unsettled, she looked around. The room was lavishly decorated. In fact, the bed she was on was a big fancy one, with four posters and everything. But there was something odd about this room…

In a minute, it hit her. There wasn't any door. No windows, either. The only light in the room came from a small chandelier-type hanging lamp.

_What on earth—?_

"Ah, you're awake," a voice said. Anna winced. She knew that voice. She tried not to wince again as the owner of that voice materialized in front of her, sitting calmly on the bed.

"Hao," she spat out. "You've gone too far this time."

"Who, me?" he laughed. It was an innocent little laugh. "Dear little Anna-chan."

"Don't call me that!" she clenched her fists. "What's your game? Why am I here?"

Hao smiled again. "You know, Anna-chan, you're a very pretty girl. But you're strong and smart. And like I've said before, I'm interested in you."

She refused to be flattered. Coming from somebody like Hao, no freaking way would she accept it.

"If you think you can control Yoh by kidnapping me—"

"Anna," he said seriously, standing up. "I've just said. I am interested in you. Not my Otouto. Him I can deal with later."

Anna's mouth turned a little dry. "…What?"

"You see, Anna," Hao sat down on the bed again, this time much closer to her. "I often told myself that you were a prize that I could take once I became Shaman King. But somehow, I can't wait anymore." He smiled once more, his charming smile. Yes, charming, damn it all.

"Let me _go_." Her voice was cold. "Release me. I am not some kind of object—"

"You're a prize," Hao said seriously now, the enchanting smile fading a bit. He looked at her intently. He reached out and touched her golden hair.

She moved to slap him. Really, she did. But Hao anticipated it, and he managed to pull her close.

"I'm _not_ letting you go back to him."

She struggled, she really did. Hao was simply stronger. Anna hated it. She felt weak.

"How…_dare_…you…"

"Do you know, Anna," he said quietly, finally letting her go. She got out of the bed, and looked at him with hatred in her eyes. "That Yoh will never appreciate you like I could?"

"Yoh will be Shaman King," she said, anger evident in her eyes. "I will be his wife. That's all there is to it. That's all you need to know."

"No, Anna," he said, and he let his smile return to his handsome face. "There is quite a lot more. For instance—" he stood up and faced her. She refused to back away. Stubborn, stubborn pride. "For instance, there is this whole matter of your claim to love him. Do you?"

"Yes." No hesitation. Hao smirked. He took a step closer.

"And does _he_ love _you_?"

"Y-yes…"

A pained look came to her face. They both knew that she had faltered. Hao came even closer.

"So why be with him?" Hao questioned. He was very close to her now.

"He will be Shaman King," Anna repeated. "I will become his wife. We're already engaged. No problem there." Her voice was quite devoid of emotion. "And I will have an easy life as Shaman Queen."

"No, no, Anna," Hao said gently. He was mocking her now. Her hand longed to slap him. "I am powerful. You know that. I know that. Even Yoh is aware of my strength, though not fully." He chuckled. "My dense little brother. My power is far beyond anything he could dream to achieve."

"No…"

She trembled a bit. She didn't mean to, really, she didn't, but….

"You will be mine. You _are_ mine. Remember that, Anna."

Well, Hao definitely has effects on certain people.

He seized her. His arms were around her in a sort of warm embrace. But Anna didn't feel warm. She felt a sinking chill when he touched her.

"Get…off!" she cried out. She finally pushed him, hard. He stumbled backward a bit. She moved backwards herself, and then sank to her knees, breathing hard. "_Don't touch me_!" she snarled.

Hao merely looked amused.

"You're strong in both spirit and mind, Anna," he said. "Don't prove me wrong by continuing to believe in my little brother."

"Yoh isn't weak! I'm not weak!"

But Hao was already gone.

Anna sank into her knees. She refused to let her tears fall, lest Hao manage to taunt her about it. But she sat there, very white in the face. Her hands clenched and unclenched.

_How dare he… When the time comes… I will… I hate you, Hao… Don't touch me…_

She shuddered.

_Don't touch me._

* * *

_Yoh frowned. Tamao was beside him, as well as Manta. Manta came over for his usual visit, quite expecting to see Yoh diligently training under Anna's iron slap. Instead, they were by her futon with increasing worry._

_"What's going on?" Tamao asked, scared. "Yoh-sama?"_

_"I don't know," he said softly. "But it's been almost two days. And she hasn't woken up…"_

_"Did she take anything?" Manta asked, peering at Anna's sleeping form. "Sleeping pills…?"_

_"None that I know of."_

_"It's so odd," Manta said, facing Yoh. "Apart from the fact that she hasn't waken up, she just looks asleep to me."_

_"That's the thing," Yoh said, standing up. "Any other time I would have left her alone. But something doesn't feel right…"_


	2. Care and Contemplation

_He was getting more and more worried. They all were._

_"What did Faust say?" Manta asked Tamao. She bit her lip._

_"She's…perfectly healthy…"_

_Manta frowned. "But…?"_

_"She's under some kind of permanent unconsciousness… Yoh-sama is with her now."_

_"No kidding," Manta said sadly. "He hasn't left her side yet."_

_Tamao's gaze wandered over to Anna's room. Yoh cared so much for her. It wasn't too hard to wish for something like that._

_"I think I'd better go down," she said softly. "There's a chance Horo-kun and the others may come…"_

_Manta nodded._

* * *

_Yoh was frowning. His thinking was clouded._

_What's wrong with her…?_

_"Yoh-dono."_

_Amidamaru appeared beside his master._

_"Hi, Amidamaru," he said tiredly. "It's weird, isn't it? She's like some kind of sleeping beauty. Though if I kiss her, she may kill me."_

_"Yoh-dono…" Amidamaru cleared his throat. "You don't perhaps think it would be best to seek aid?"_

_"…I've already consulted Faust…" Yoh didn't want to look away from Anna._

_"No," he said gently. "I mean, your grandparents. They may know of what to do…"_

_Yoh was silent. "Normally, I'd say yes in a heartbeat. But…"_

_"But…?"_

_"…Somehow, I don't want to leave her."_

* * *

**CARE AND CONTEMPLATION**

* * *

"What do you plan to achieve by keeping me here?" 

Anna was determined to be bitingly cold.

_He won't break me._

"Anna," Hao said, looking bored. "What kind of husband would I be if I didn't pay attention to my wife? And how could I pay attention to her if she continued to stay at my brother's house?"

"I am _not _your—"

"Bride, then. It's a nice word, ne? It suits you… Anna-_chan_."

She opened her mouth. She meant to say something like, _I am not your bride_, or, _Don't call me Anna-_chan. But, instead, she choked out:

"It does not suit me."

"No?" Hao smiled serenely. "I disagree with you there."

Anna refused to blush. She wouldn't show such nauseating things in front of him. That practically invited him to further taunt her. Or touch her.

She looked away. He was sitting on the bed again, as was she. But this time he made no advances.

"Yoh and the others will find me," Anna said through clenched teeth. "And when they do—"

She stopped, because here Hao began laughing.

"Anna… Yoh won't be looking for you…"

Her eyebrows rose. "What do you mean? Of course he would be…"

"Well, if he is not as dense as I take him to be," Hao said carelessly. "But, you see, he won't go looking for you if he still believes that you haven't gone anywhere. And even if he does… he'll _never_ find you."

Her throat felt something hard.

"What do you mean?"

Hao laughed again.

"Let's change the subject. Anna-_chan_, you are very, very sure of Yoh's success as Shaman King, yes?"

"I've said it once. I'll say it a million times—"

"But what about when it comes to his personal feelings toward you?"

She grimaced. _Dammit._

"What… about them?"

"Forgive me for being blunt. Has he ever expressed any interest in you at all?"

"No."

She answered firmly. But her eyes shook a bit.

"No. But regardless of what he feels about me, he would still do his best to rescue me. Our relationship still extends beyond trainer and trainee. We're engaged, after all."

"But it was arranged by dear Kino, right?" Hao laughed again. "I would hardly call that especially lover-bound."

She looked away. "Like I said. Even if he only saw me as a friend, he'd still come."

"Is that a fact?" Hao lay down, in a position startlingly like Yoh's: eyes closed, with the back of his head resting on his hands, his arms making a sideward V-shape. "Then again, it's not like he'd know _where_ to look, right?"

"What do you mean?" her eyes flashed at his words. He was enjoying it, she could tell, the way he could lay out some riddles for him.

"Ah, well, why spoil the fun…?"

"It's all a game to you!" she finally cried out. She couldn't help it; she was disgusted. "Pain, chaos, death… all of it. All your power… everything… _you_…"

Anna couldn't find the words to describe his inhuman behavior, actually. She had a pretty good feeling that whatever she said wouldn't matter to a guy like him. She turned her back on him, arms crossed.

She refused to speak to him any longer.

"Being a bit childish, aren't we?" he remarked. She didn't move. "_Maa, maa,_ Anna. You know I love talking to you."

She was miffed at that. _Let him talk, then. As long as he doesn't expect a reply._

"Well…" Hao sighed, and stood up. "Let's just say… you're in two places at once." He yawned. "Aren't dreams interesting? It's like a whole different place you can go to. All you need to do is sleep."

He disappeared, and something in Anna clicked.

_Don't tell me…_

If her suspicions were right, then that meant he was a lot more powerful than she expected.

* * *

_"What's going on?" Horo-Horo and Pilika had come for a visit (much to Pilika's annoyance), to find Tamao on the verge of tears._

_Quietly, she explained what had been going on._

_"…Asleep?" Horo-Horo frowned. "For almost_ a week _already? _Masaka_…"_

_"I don't understand it at all…" Tamao said, eyes tearing up. "Yoh-sama and I have been taking care of her. But aside from a living, breathing body, it's like she isn't here at all."_

_"And… how's Yoh?"_

_"…he—" Tamao swallowed, as Pilika tried to pat her comfortingly. "He's not doing so good."_

_She glanced wearily towards upstairs._

_"I think he needs some rest."_


	3. Confidence

_"I'm leaving in a while," Yoh said. "Yeah, don't worry about me. Huh? Well, you _sounded _worried to me... Yeah, OK.Bye, Ren."_

_He put down the phone._

_"Hey, Horo," he said. "Keep an eye on the place for me, will you?"_

_"No prob'."_

_"I'd better go soon," Yoh said, picking up his bag. "Take care of her, guys."_

_"Don't worry about Anna-san," Manta said. "Just concentrate on getting to your grandparents' place."_

_"Yeah. See you."_

_He stopped._ Wait...I feel something…

_Frowning, he opened the door._

_The frown deepened. His bag dropped. It made sense. It made _sense

It made sense

_"Hao."_

_"Hullo, _Otouto_."_

* * *

**CONFIDENCE**

* * *

Anna was sitting down, deep in thought. _Was it possible?_

_Was it possible…._

She swallowed.

Was it possible that he was that powerful?

Anna didn't know whether to be angry, or scared, or upset…

Whatever the feeling, she had to think. And fast.

Her mind wandered swiftly through her memories. What had Madame Kino said about it…?

She stood up suddenly. She needed to find the—

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Anna mentally cursed. Why did he have to appear now…?

"Miss me?" Hao asked, looking at her fondly.

"…No."

"Of course you did," he said, cheerfully. "Now, I've got something interesting to tell you."

"…Something to tell me…?"

"I visited my brother today," he said. His smile was unkind. "And he finally realized what the cause of your… _disappearance_ was."

"Don't give me that," she suddenly snapped. "I know what you've done, and how you've brought me here."

"Oh?" his smile grew wider. "Go on…"

"You captured my consciousness," she said numbly. "It's an old type of skill. _Very _old. You entered my dream state and brought it here—"(wherever _here_ was) "—but my body is still back there. This isn't a real place, is it?"

She wasn't really asking.

"If that's true…" Hao asked tactfully. "Then why do you feel me…when I touch you?"

She froze as his hand found hers. His hand was warm, but all it did was make her feel very cold.

"That's what is so powerful about it," she said, pulling her hand away. "You kidnapped my consciousness and my senses. If you hurt me—" she looked at him hard. "—Then I will suffer those wounds when I get back."

"_If _you get back," he corrected, but he was smiling. He then grabbed both her wrists. She winced in pain, but she suppressed it. He looked sickeningly delighted. "I knew it! You _are_ fit to be Shaman Queen."

He laughed. Anna's fists clenched tighter.

"I _will _get back. Either you release me, or I will get out myself. Or, Yoh will come for me."

"Ahhh, are those the options? I'm sorry, Anna. But none of that will work, you see."

She looked at him. He was doing it again. Toying with her.

"The first option is for me to release you. But that would defeat the purpose of me having you come here in the first place."

He let go of her wrists now, but they still felt the pain.

"I didn't come here," she snarled. "_You_ brought me here."

He ignored her as if she was a sulking child. "The second option. You escaping. I do not doubt your strength, Anna, but I have confidence in mine. This—" he gestured the doorless room, which was something formed by his furyouko. _An entire room._ Anna grit her teeth and grudgingly admitted that he was very powerful. "—should be proof enough."

He used up all that _furyouko_ for her, she suddenly realized. That in itself confused her, but she waved it off.

"The final option. You still believe that Yoh will manage to rescue you from my 'evil clutches'. I don't want to get your hopes up, but I suppose it's time I tell you why you are seeing me again too soon right not." He paused. "Not that I didn't welcome the opportunity," he added kindly.

She hmphed.

"Well, _Otouto_ was very angry, you know. My dear brother doesn't like it when any of those friends he has running around get involved. So, unnecessary as it was, he challenged me."

"What?"

_Yoh, you fool…_

"Oh, I don't doubt his potential. He's a good boy. But he lets his pathetic friendship get in the way sometimes." Hao stopped and looked up. "Although…now that I think about it, you're _worth it_, aren't you Anna?"

"What?" she said again.

"Well, here's the happy part. The winner of our little duel is you, lovely i_tako_. I mentioned that I would check with you first. Because, you see, if he loses, you belong to me. Body and all."

"_What_?" she said, yet again, this time not quite in an interrogative mode.

"Oh, I know, that's why I said I would check first," Hao patted her head. "I'm afraid that he isn't taking 'no' for an answer though. So we fight tomorrow."

"He'll win," Anna said, not quite out of the blue. She stared at him, because she believed what she said.

"Will he?" Hao yawned. "I should go. Now remember, Anna, no _itako_ tricks, all right? You are mine once I come back to you here. In fact, you are mine now. But let's pretend I'm trying to win something. It's more fun that way. Actually, when you think about it, it's as if I'm winning your body now, right?"

He disappeared.

Anna folded her hands on her lap. No _itako_ tricks?

_Yeah, right._

* * *

_"Hullo, _Otouto_," Hao said._

_Yoh clasped his sword with quivering rage. "Where's Anna?"_

_"Calm yourself, Yoh-dono," Amidamaru said urgently. "It's the only way we'll save Anna-dono."_

_He took several breaths, an act that amused Hao._

_"She's fine, don't worry. Ready?"_

_Horo-Horo, Manta, Ryu, and Ren stood there, some with weapons in their hands. Horo and Ryu felt it necessary to insult the fire shaman, while Manta concentrated on praying that Yoh would do well. Ren was doing his best not to jump in and fight alongside Yoh, but he was very tempted to do so._

_"This just involves me, and him," Yoh had said. "And I'm going to have to do this if I want to save Anna."_


	4. Crevice

_It was inevitable that rain began to fall. Hao looked up with mock surprise._

_"Huh," he said staring at the sky. "Well, no matter. A little rain won't hurt, not even a fire shaman."_

Anna concentrated. If she could locate one tiny crack…

Just one crack… _please_…

_Yoh didn't trust himself to speak. He was still trying to put aside his anger, but it wasn't working. His mind was a whirlwind._

Save Anna—kill Hao—no, don't kill—but Anna—bring her back—bring her back—bring her back—HAO!

_"Yoh-dono!" Amidamaru tried to yell, but Yoh was already moving towards his twin brother._

Anna dropped to her knees gasping, already exhausted. But she stood up and closed her eyes again.

_I have to try harder…_

_"Let Anna go," he said, coming close to snarling. Easy-going Asakura Yoh didn't lash out in anger, not unless somebody important to him was in trouble._

_"If you win," Hao shrugged._

_"_Kisama_," Ren said. Horo Horo and the others agreed._

_Hao smiled._

* * *

**CREVICE**

* * *

Anna was flying.

Floating steadily through a dark blanket of pure black, she moved on and on.

_I have to find a flaw. One little split. Just one. One—_

Her body slammed against the bed. She grit her teeth. Hao was so powerful, it was frightening.

She lay on the bed for a while. Tears threatened to come, but she still fought. _I won't—_

* * *

"_Give up," Hao said, grinning. Yoh was on the ground._

_"Yoh—" Horo began, but he got no further. Yoh staggered up again. He faced Hao, and resumed fighting stance._

_"Ah," Hao said, not looking surprised. "You're really going to try—"_

* * *

_Again._ Try again. Keep trying, until you break the barrier. _Come on, Anna!_

Anna was on the verge of blacking out. He spiritual powers were being spent fast.

"I will not give up," she said, and she closed her eyes again.

The floating sensation came back. The pitch-black tunnel. Not one hint of a fissure. The darkness, closing in, faster than before.

_There._

Anna was thrown back into the door less room with a violent thud, but she shined with hope. Just before the barrier had shoved her back, she located the break.

She found herself speaking aloud. "Wait for me, Y—"

* * *

_"—oh-kun!" Manta cried out._

_"Yoh!"_

_"Yoh-sama!"_

_"Yoh—!"_

_"Yoh-dono!"_

_"Your friends can cheer all they want, Otouto," Hao said. "But you can't win. We all know it."_

_"Maybe," Yoh said, and he stood up. He had taken so many blows, and yet… "Maybe not."_

_Hao's eyes narrowed a bit. "You're certainly very—"_

_

* * *

__Persistent_, Anna thought. _That's what I have to be, if I'm going to break the wall down._, Anna thought. 

She closed her eyes. This time she was sitting in a lotus position, with her hands forming finger shapes of ancient spiritual ceremony.

Break it.

_Break_ it.

_Break it._

_If I ever want to see you again, I have to—_

* * *

_"—defeat me, or kill me. Kill, more likely. But my point is, you want to see Anna again, don't you?"_

_"I won't kill you," Yoh said quietly._

_"Pity," Hao said. "Your jump in strength would have been a lot better." He paused, studying Yoh with a serious countenance. "Though you are reasonably strong as it is. It's quite amazing how you are still standing."_

_"Yoh!" Ren suddenly yelled out. "Don't be a fool. Let us fight, too!"_

_"He's right, Yoh!" Horo said. In normal cases Yoh really would have listened. He was agreeing with Ren, after all._

_"We can't just sit by and watch, Yoh-sama!" Ryu was gripping his wooden sword tightly._

_"Sorry, guys…" Yoh said. "But I can't let anyone else get hurt."_

_"That, Yoh," Hao said, unsmiling and glimmering with something like annoyance. "is why you're not as strong as you should be. I think Anna would agree with me on this one."_

"No, I _wouldn't."_

Everyone froze, including Hao.

Anna was there, in her white yukata, clutching her beads with trembling rage.

"Anna…" Yoh was looking at her with an explosion of emotions. Surprise, relief, joy, confusion, relief again, and…

She looked at him, and her eyes seemed to soften a bit. But then she faced Hao, with a kind of hatred shimmering in her eyes.

"You surprise me again, Anna-_chan_," Hao said. "I didn't expect you this soon. I apologize for doubting your strength."

"I don't accept your empty apologies," she said. Everyone held his or her breath. What would happen now? "And don't call me Anna-_chan_."

"_Hai, hai_," Hao sighed. He turned to Yoh, who was using his sword for support. "We'll have to finish this another time, _Otouto_."

"_Nani_!" Ren and the rest exclaimed.

"Aa," said Hao. "If Yoh won, I would have restored Anna to her body. If I won, which was what was happening, by the way, I would have been allowed to take Anna's body. But we never accounted for her escape, because I assumed she would take much longer. I guess this makes the duel null and void."

"If that's the case," Ren said, drawing his spear. "Then I am no longer interfering if I kill you."

"I guess," Hao shrugged. He hummed merrily. "I should be going. See you at the tournament Yoh." And then, as an afterthought, he added: "Though I'm pretty sure Anna will come to me in the end."

Before anything else, Hao was on the shoulder of his fire spirit, flying far away.

And then the strangest thing happened. Both Anna and Yoh collapsed.

* * *

_**WAHHH!**_

**This was so hard to write! That's why it took kinda long. Up to now, I'm not happy with the result. I guess I'll just try to fix it later.**

**Anyway! One last chapter to go. And it shall also have my excuses—I mean, explanations. You know, like why I couldn't bring myself to kill Hao off, or even let him get defeated, and such. And a whole bunch of other fluff crap, because I'm a shallow, shallow one.**

**I shan't dillydally any longer. Time to post this chapter!**


	5. Conclusion

**Yeah, OK. I'm here, sick like anything, coughing like crazy, but whatever.**

**This is the last chapter folks. Hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Seriously, it was great fun.**

* * *

**CONCLUSION**

* * *

When Yoh woke up, his body was aching all over. 

That didn't surprise him at all. What surprised him was the fact that _Anna_ was asleep next to him, on the floor.

"Yoh-_dono_," Amidamaru appeared, hovering with a concerned expression on his face. "Are you… all right?"

"Oh, I'm fine," Yoh said, his usual cheeriness kicking in. "I'm a bit hungry, though."

Amidamaru smiled. Yup, he was fine.

"_Naa,_ Amidamaru," Yoh said suddenly, looking at Anna's unconscious form. "How long has she been here?"

"As soon as she regained consciousness," Amidamaru said. "That was… yesterday, I believe."

"_Eh?_ How long have I been out?"

"Two or three days. Your body is quite strong, Yoh-_dono_."

"Must be because of all the training," he found himself saying. He looked at Anna again.

* * *

Anna was having bad dreams again. 

She didn't have nightmares since she was much younger, she realized, as she regained consciousness.

"_Aa_, you're awake," she heard someone saying.

She froze at first, because she heard that voice before. It was a voice of cold, hard, burning…

"Anna?"

Anna blinked, and then remembered all that had happened.

Of course she knew who it was. It was Yoh, and he was now looking at her with a genuinely concerned look on his face.

She looked at him. For a moment, that's all they did. Look at each other.

Anna didn't know she could feel so relieved to see him. At the same time, she felt a bit held back. It was hard not to, considering Yoh was Hao's twin brother.

Yoh blinked, and opened his mouth. But Anna cut him off by hitting him quite soundly on the head with a loud _BONK_.

"_Itai_!" Yoh cried. "Annaaa…"

"Yoh-_dono_!" Amidamaru appeared, looking at his master with a cross of concern and… well, amusement. Sure he pitied Yoh (it was _Anna,_ after all…), but it still looked kind of funny.

"Leave," Anna snapped at Amidamaru. He looked surprised.

"Wha--?"

"Please," she said then, less hostile. "I need to talk. To him."

"Very well," Amidamaru said respectfully. He disappeared.

"A-anna?" Yoh said meekly.

_BONK!_

"_Itai_!" he yelped. His eyes were watering something fierce.

"_BAKA_!"

"Eh!"

"You could have gotten yourself killed!"

There was a stunned sort of silence. Not because Yoh didn't expect that kind of thing from Anna. In fact, he knew it was only a matter of time (though even then, it was painful…).

What had brought about shock was the fact that Anna had tears coming out of her eyes.

"Anna…"

_BONK!_

"Listen to me when I talk to you!" she said angrily. "You risked everything by challenging him. You could have been _killed_."

"I _know_!" he said, somewhat indignantly. What he did was for her, after all. "But how else would I save you?"

"If I didn't come on time, what then?" she asked, eyes flashing with her strong character.

"He wouldn't kill me," Yoh said quietly.

This was something they both knew.

"Even then… do you realize how badly injured you are? If I meant anything to you at all, you could have had the sense to train and meet him at the Shaman tournament. I can take care of myself!" Anna stopped. She slid her hands back into the sleeves of her yukata. "_I can take care of myself_."

Yoh shrugged. "It all worked out in the end, right?"

"_Baka_," she said, but she didn't hit him again.

"Anna…"

"Hm?"

"What did he do to you?"

She tried to keep her face straight, but there were still some tears. "Used old powers. 'Kidnapped' me, without taking my physical form."

"I know that. I mean, what did he _do_ to you?"

"…"

He was serious now, and she knew she couldn't avoid the question.

"…I'm _fine_," she said. And then she added, "If that's what you're asking."

"That _was_ what I was asking," Yoh said, taking a relaxer's pose. He lay down with the back of his head resting on his hands, hauntingly like Hao. "But I don't think you're telling me the truth."

She took a defensive. "Are you calling me a _liar_?"

He opened one eye and looked at her straight in the eye. "…"

Anna sighed. They both knew she was giving hollow lines. She crossed her arms over her chest.

"I'm going to go—" she began to mumble out. But then Yoh sat up suddenly and took her hands into his.

She mentally cursed as he studied the bruises on her wrists. They were faint, but quite obviously painful.

"Did he do this?"

The question was more like a demand. He was angry, she could see.

She pulled away. "Maybe."

His face grew somber. "I'm really _sorry_, Anna…"

"Hm?"

"I didn't protect you like I should have. If I lost you… I don't know what I would have done. Truth is… if I did like you said I should have, if I waited until it was proper time to fight Hao… I still may have _lost _you… and…"

He stopped himself, but he didn't need to finish. Anna caught the slightly red glow on his cheeks. It made her blush through her tears. She was thankful he didn't see it.

They sat in silence for a while.

"Hey, Anna."

"Hm?"

"Don't cry anymore," he said, smiling at her brightly.

Anna touched her cheek, embarrassed. But the tears couldn't stop.

He looked at her, worried. "Eiha, it's okay. We're all okay, ne?"

Yoh pulled her into a warm hug.

Anna found herself hugging back.

* * *

Yoh will be Shaman King. 

_That was a fact, not a hope. Kyouyama Anna never, ever had any doubt at all that Asakura Yoh would be the Shaman King. None at all. It was a fact in itself._

And…

_When it came to Yoh's feelings for her…_

_She looked at him, her eyes softening. He looked up, caught her stare, and smiled._

_"Yes, Anna?"_

_That easygoing expression on his face was something she liked about him, though she often blamed it for revealing to the world just how lazy her fiancé was._

_"…Nothing, I'm going to bed."_

_She shivered when she said it. He noticed this, and then draped a blanket around her._

_"…Why don't we watch the stars first?"_

_Anna saw through him, of course. He was trying to take her mind off what had happened. If things went on the fortunate side, she would asleep in his arms without any worry of Hao's treacherous powers._

_"_Hai_."_

_She agreed, because she _did_ want to forget about what happened. Because she _did_ want to see the stars._

_And because maybe, she _did_ want to fall asleep in his arms._

_After all, she was finally sure he cared for her, too._

**FINISHED!**

* * *

**Whoa! I'm finally done!**

**All in all, I'm not totally satisfied, but I actually finished it. I can go back and fix it later on, anyway.**

**To the reviewers, we go!**

**The following get a hug and a jar of guava jam:**

anitaking3

lovebaby

sazzy1

Dark Angel Alchemist

Darkness Falls

BluRosEs

Sweetkukumalu

Trey Racer

REBEl4000

hannami08

pendulumxswing

**Thank you so much for the reviews!**

* * *

**The following get a bigger hug and a bunch of bananas:**

Kendricks Alashane

Holy Girl

**Thanks, you guys, for reviewing . Reviews are like candy—so sweet!**

* * *

**The following get an even BIGGER hug and a plate of blueberry muffins:**

sweet-but-evil

YamiandAnzuForever

Tone

**It's really nice to know that you're following the story, and/or are really excited about stuff to happen. I hope I haven't let you down in any way.**

* * *

**And last (but certainly not least, because here the people reviewed times four), the following people get not a hug, but a GLOMP, and a strawberry shortcake. Yum!**

Sakurayumi – _Hope nothing confused you any more! Yes, I appreciate your reviews, because they totally make my day!_

Nyago – _I LOVE your reviews! They make me smile, and they make me want to keep on writing! I hope you enjoy this fic!_

* * *

**The following get hit in the face with pie for not reviewing:**

Sireen Silverspinner – You SUCK, Siri. ;p

**(note: she's my best friend, I'm allowed to tell her that. Move along, move along…)**

* * *

**And if I've forgotten anyone at all, I am really, really sorry. As you should know, I am quite an unreliable person. So… yeah. Don't kill me.**

* * *

**_poof!_**

(Side note: Author is hopelessly unreliable. In other words, if you are expecting all that stuff, don't count on it too much. XD Gomen ne, minna-san.)


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